Nintendo Ramps Up SNES Classic Production, Revives NES Classic

Nintendo might have just saved Christmas. The company announced that it plans to ship more units of the SNES Classic retro console on its September 29 debut than it shipped of the NES Classic for its entire production run, which should make it easier to snag one of the devices in time for the holidays. Perhaps even more exciting, Nintendo also said the NES Classic will return to stores in summer 2018, although further details are scarce.

The NES Classic and SNES Classic are miniature versions of Nintendo's iconic 8- and 16-bit consoles. Each comes pre-loaded with famous games made for those consoles, ranging from the original Super Mario Bros. to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. They also sport HDMI connections, throwback controllers, and in the SNES Classic's case, a new Rewind feature that will let you take another stab at a hard spot.

Consumers have made it clear that they want these consoles. The NES Classic was constantly sold out, and Nintendo halted production in April despite pleas to continue making the device. The SNES Classic was on a similar track: Pre-orders opened on August 22 and closed the same day. If the console's production matched its predecessor's, chances are good that it would have been sold out as soon as it debuted on September 29.

But it seems Nintendo has finally realized that shipping more of these devices is like printing money. In addition to shipping more units on the SNES Classic's launch because "fans have shown their unbridled enthusiasm for these Classic Edition systems," the company also said it will continue to ship units into 2018, even though production of the SNES Classic was originally supposed to stop at the end of 2017.

You can find out more about the NES Classic and SNES Classic at their respective websites. Nintendo didn't reveal when exactly it plans to revive the NES Classic or at what price. The original run and the upcoming SNES Classic both cost $80, however, so that's the likeliest price. Now all we have to do is wait for Nintendo to keep running down the line of consoles so we can play Nintendo 64 and GameCube titles.